Still in Ft. Pickens

The last three days here at Ft. Pickens have been wonderful.  Though the weather forecast has been for rain since Monday, it has yet to show up.  A couple of light showers overnight on Tuesday is all we’ve had.  Warm temps and light winds during the day.  I decided to hike around the east end of the island this morning.  Headed due North from the campground to the bay side of the island.  The town of Pensacola and Pensacola Naval Air Station across the way.

Destination is way down yonder.

The first thing I came across on the beach was a headless bird of some kind.  Only a skinless neck on the body.  What’s up with that?

A leisurely walk down to Ft. Pickens.  A few shore birds and pelicans were the only wildlife around.

 

Can you see the duck?

Looking back.  My foot prints.

                                     

The old seawall along the West end of the island makes a great hiking path.

 

A lone palm tree on the edge of the gulf.

Caught the trail back to the campground.  Overall, about a four mile hike, if the park service signs are correct.

Caught this guy resting along the way.

I noticed this rig coming into the CG this afternoon.

Another pink motorhome.  Thought it was Janna and Mike.

Great Year

 

As the last day of 2012 dawned on the Gulf Coast of Florida, temperatures were a lot warmer than previous days, but scattered clouds covered the sun.

As I walked the beach this morning, I noticed the hundreds of wave lines of small debris left along the way as the water receded.

For whatever reason they brought to mind our past year of traveling around this great Country. All the ins and outs, intertwined within each other, sometimes following the pattern, occasionally breaking away to leave an individual mark. Kind of like our year.

Last January we traveled to Florida, meeting Judy, along with Janna and Mike.  March found us at the Green Eggs and Ham Rally where we hooked up with about sixty old and new friends. April found us in Northern Arkansas, and May found us following our grand daughter to the state softball championship game, along with her high school graduation.  June was pretty quiet, but July found us headed North and West all the way to Glacier NP and a tour of parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Utah; before returning home in September.  Along the way we were privileged to meet Emily and Lynne.  October was balloon month in Natchez and Arkansas.  November was spent around home, but here it is the last day of the year and we are again on the coast of Florida.

Many twists and turns, but almost all of them brought us closer to so many people we didn’t even know a year ago. We are thankful for meeting every one of them.  There are those we only know through their blogs such as Kim, Horst, Sharon, The Ducks, The Longdogs, and many many more.  Though we haven’t met in person, we consider each one of them a friend. Our goal for 2013 is to try and make many more.  Somewhere along the way.

Sally and I got out and hiked part of the Florida Coastal Trail this afternoon.  It was fun to get out and about after hanging around the trailer the past couple of days.

               

Happy New Year to everyone.  We wish you the best year ever for 2013…….jc

Florida? warm! NOT!!

 

With the temperature near thirty and the wind out of the North at 25 miles an hour, the only thing to do is point your beak into the wind and hang on.  Seems every snag had a heron of some kind sitting on it this morning, hunkered down, not wanting to fly in the wind.

                           

That pretty much was the pattern of our day, also.  We found a nice warm place to spend the day.  The Naval Air Museum in Pensacola.  No pictures, as I blogged about it last year, but it was still a fantastic place to spend most of the day.  I don’t think you could absorb everything there if you spent a week.  Highly recommend it if you are ever anywhere in the area.

About dark we built a campfire at a friends site and had a chili dump for the evening meal.  Everyone brings a can or pot of chili of some kind, dumps it in the larger pot and after mixing and heating for a while, everyone has a bowl or two.

A great way to fight the chill on a cold evening. 

 

It wasn’t long before a full moon showed up to the East.  By then most everyone was ready to give in to the cold and head for their trailers.  Forecast to be near freezing again tonight.  Hopefully warmer temps for tomorrow…..jc